In a recent interview with Arutz Sheva, Dr. Haggai Ben-Artzi, the first officer in the IDF from the Hesder system, reacted strongly to the recent statements of the IDF spokesman, Moti Almoz, claiming that there is no substance to the claim that the new army standing orders regarding mixed units are a problem for religious officers or soldiers.
According to the new orders, there will be a difference between what is expected of officers and what is expected of regular soldiers. Religious soldiers will have the option of serving in a men-only company. However, officers will not always have that option.
Said Haggai, “"There is no other way to respond to the IDF spokesman's remarks but as a fraud. I hate to say this, but the IDF spokesman is lying when he claims that the new standing order allows every officer and soldier to maintain their way of life.”
“The fact that the new order does not allow religious officers to refuse to be placed in a mixed unit plainly contradicts this claim.”
Ben-Arzi said that the religious Zionist movement needs to unite and work together. “We need to work together to stop this erosion now. If not, then the trend will continue and even religious soldiers will be required to serve in mixed units.”
“I call on the religious youth in the army to stand up and say that ‘we will not volunteer for officer training as long as this new order is in effect.’”
“The fact that haredi army units are not subject to this new order proves how disrespectful the army has become towards religious Zionism, how they feel that we’re in their pocket and they don’t need to have a meaningful dialogue with us and can impose their will on us. I hope that the religious Zionist community will have a sense of solidarity and be able to unite around the basic values that are important to us.”
"I strongly believe that our youth know that this is a historic moment and that their job is to fight so that everyone in our army, religious and secular, can serve without giving up our values and way of life. This is what is at stake.”